Tell us a little about yourself, what you do for a living, what hobbies / interests / passions you have.
I am a writer. I’ve written 11 novels, 7 of which have been published through www.synergebooks.com. I have also been a personal trainer for over 10 years and a natural competitive bodybuilder for over 20.

Why did you become vegan?
At first it was for health reasons but it has since become because of a desire to protect animals and not take part in their murder and torture.
When and why did you become interested in fitness?
I know no other way of living. Since I was four years old, I have been involved in some kind of athletic pursuit. I love it, I absolutely love exercising. I can’t live without it, it’s like breathing.

How would you describe your nutrition program?
Eating wise when I'm cutting up for a show I have some mixed nuts for breakfast, half a protein shake(rice protein or soy) before workout, half after. Then a big veggie salad with kale, mixed greens, artichokes, tomatoes, black beans, avocado, olives, dressing is olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Later I'll have another shake or some more nuts but that's about it when I'm cutting. Fun, huh? Low carbs sucks but that's the only way I know to get ripped. Too much cardio makes me shrink up and I get small. When bulking, I'll eat a lot more carbs/foods of course. I throw in a lot of brown rice and potatoes. My cheat day is Sunday and I eat rice cream or soy cream and rice cheese pizza and I kinda have a sweet tooth as well and love dark chocolate. I eat veggie burgers sometimes but I have a soy sensitivity so I cut back on that when I need to.

How would you describe your training program?
Hardcore bodybuilding. Five days per week, super intense training designed to maximize muscle gains and strength.

A general work out runs thusly:

Mon-back, chest, bis, calves

Tue-legs, abs, tris, shoulders

Thurs-chest, back, hamstrings

Fri-back, chest, legs, abs, bis, calves

Sat-shoulders, tris, traps,

Reps go from 13-15 the first 2 days, 8-10 the next and then Fri and Sat I do 6 or fewer. I usually do 2-3 sets, sometimes 4 and rest between 2-3 mins in between sets. I do almost exclusively free weights and/or body weight exercises like weighted pull ups or weighted dips. I never do machines unless I am rehabbing an injury.

I work out like the Bulgarians do, only 35-40 mins per workout. For more details on this way of training, check out Big Beyond Belief. You can find out-of-print copies on Amazon. Tom Platz worked with them and did some crazy stuff. Their workouts are super intense. On their program, you train legs six days per week sometimes! But it works.

What are some common misconceptions about veganism?
That you can’t get muscular without eating meat. Totally not true!

What advice do you have for people who are just starting out with veganism or training?
Take it slow, like I did. Start stripping meat out of your diet and replace it with meat substitutes if you need to. Make the transition as easy as possible. Go slow and let your body adapt to the new diet but remember, being vegan doesn’t just mean someone doesn’t eat meat. Veggies, fruit, whole grains, these are the foundational foods a vegan diet is built on.

Do you have any other thoughts you’d like to share?
I love the idea of being part of a community that celebrates what’s possible being vegan in the world of bodybuilding.